How to Create QR Codes for URLs Using Google Chrome

 

In this article, we have discussed the way using which you can create QR Codes for URLs using Chrome. QR codesare the most widely accepted mediums to share information, as the technology has the capability to storeover 4,296 alphanumeric characters or 7,089 numbers in a square-shaped icon, thereby making it convenient for the users to share information easily. While you may see a vast number of QR code generating platforms available on the web, Chrome has recently introduced its built-in QR code generatorthat would help individuals generate and share QR codes of the URLs with ease. In case you are hearing about the feature for the first time, here’s everything about it you need to understand so as to enable and use it efficiently.

Create QR Codes for URLs Using Google Chrome

Individuals can easily generate QR codes on both mobile and desktop versions of Chrome. While there are some minorvariations in the QR code generation process on mobile and desktop, we have listed the methods for both of them under separate sections. So, follow this article to the end to know the instructions on how to use the feature on mobile as well as the desktop version of Chrome.

Generate QR Codes on Google Chrome Desktop

To generate QR codes on Chrome’s desktop version, you need to follow these steps:

1. The QR code sharing feature and is still under development phase and hidden behind a Chrome flag. So, if you want to enable it, you need to open Chrome and further search for the option “Enable sharing page via QR Code.”
2. Further, select “Enabled” appearing in the dropdown menu, and now you need to restart the browser. Alternatively, you can locate the flag by pasting the below-mentioned URL in Chrome’s address bar:

 

chrome://flags/#sharing-qr-code-generator

• Once you have enabled it, you will observe a new “Create QR code for this page” option upon right-clickingthe pages. Please be noted that this won’t work if youright-click on URLs appearing within a page. Another way you can access this option is by clicking on the QR button that would appear uponhighlighting the address bar.
• You will observe a generated QR code as soon as you click on the QR button. In that interface, you need to select your preferred URL of the QR code and further download it upon the requirement by clicking on the Download button. That’s all you need to do, and your QR code will be generated that you can scan using any QR code scanner app or a supported camera app to accomplish the task.

 

Make QR Codes on Google Chrome Mobile

1. You don’t have to use Chrome flags on your Android device in order to access the QR code feature. On Chrome’s mobile version, you can simply open the browser and further visit the page whose QR code needs to be created. Now click on Share. A custom share sheet will appear on your screen, where you need to click on“QR Code.”
2. Another significant aspect of Chrome mobile is that you can generate a QR code for the target link by long-pressing any URL on a web page. IN short: long-press any link, click on“Share link,” and select “QR Code.”
3. Finally, you can download the QR code of that specific webpage. That’s it. Chrome also offers a built-in QR code scanner so as to help you easily scan the QR codes. You can access it from the Scan tab appearing on the same page.

So, these were the instructions on how to use Google Chrome to generateandshare QR codes. The recently introduced QR code creator by Google has made it easy for the users to generate QR codes, and it comes in handy when you need it.

That’s all from us for now. So, have you used the newly introduced QR code generator on your desktop or handset yet? Do let us know in the comment section if you face any issues.

 

 

SOURCE: How to Create QR Codes for URLs Using Google Chrome

 

How to Spoof Geolocation in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge

 

In this article, we have discussed the ways using which you can fake Geolocation in Mozilla, Chrome, and Edge. Nowadays, the HTML5-compliant browsers, like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft’s new Chromium-based browser Edge, come witha built-in geolocation service that allows the browsing sites to detect theprecise location of the individuals. However, the user can easily spoof his geolocation information in the browser if his location rather doesn’t get revealed to the third-party services and sites.

If you enable geolocation on your browser, it would probably help use the mapping services so as to get the relevant search results. It is also used to serve them targeted ads. This could be a serious concern related to privacy. So, today we have shown some of the ways using which you canspoof geolocation onFirefox, Chrome, and Edge.

Spoof Geo-location in Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge

Below we have mentioned the methods that you can use to fake your geolocation. All thesemethods that are mentioned below make use of geolocation API of HTML5, letting the websites access a high-level interface that helps them query latitude and longitude-like physical location information. No doubt, access to information at such granular levelsdisclosesan individual’s anonymity, online leading to aserious privacy concern that depends on how the information gets used by these sites.

So, to help individuals maintain online privacy, below are the steps on how users can spoof location in their web browser (Firefox, Chrome, or Edge).

Please be noted that Spoofing geolocation in web browsers is a temporary process. The user is reverted back to his original location once the browser window is closed and reopened again. Below are the ways to make use of the HTML5 Geolocation API.

Google Chrome

We have discussed below two methods to spoof geolocation in Chrome:

Method 1:Manually Entering the Location Coordinates.

For that, you need to follow these steps:

1. First, you need to make sure that every time when Chromewants to access your location, it asks for your approval. To allow this to happen, you need to open Chrome and tap on the three-dot “Menu” appearing at the right-hand side on the top. Then, click “Settings.”
2. Further, scroll below to “Privacy & Security” and tap on “Site Settings.”
3. Now, you will see the “Location” option appearing under “Permissions,” in which you need to click on “Ask before accessing.” If it states“Blocked,”tap on it and turn on the toggle for it.
4. Then, visit the Developer Options section by pressing together Ctrl+Shift+Ion a Windows machine or Cmd+Option+I on your Mac. Further,tap on the three-dot Menu buttonof the Developer Consoleand click on“More Tools.” Further, click on“Sensors.”
5. Further, under the new pane that is appearing at the bottom, you need to tap on “Override” to choose from preset options that include London, Tokyo, and more. Alternatively, the precise location can also be set by manually typing your exact latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates.

Method 2:Using an Extension

Users can also spoof their IP with the help of Chrome extensions. It can be accessed from the web store. This will let individuals hide their exact location;however, itmight still give information to the websites about the user’s general location. This will help individuals get access to the best of both worlds, and they will also be able to access the local search results without providing their exact address. All this can also be done manually if the users don’t worry about the accuracy of the search result. Here’s how you do it, either way:

1. First, add a Location Guard to Chrome. Further, to spoof your location, visit Location Guard “options” and go to Chrome Settings, then click on Extensions, now tap on Location Guard Details and then press Extension Options. Further, change the Default Level to ‘Use Fixed Location.’
2. Now you can easily drag and drop the blue pin appearing on the map to any location as desired, and that location will get spoofed by your browser. That’s it.
3. Wait for a couple of seconds to let the changes take place. Meanwhile, you can also clear cache on the server-side. This is amuch-preferred option for general users as it helps disableactual geolocation queries and uses your spoofed location in order to notify sites where you are actually present.

Mozilla Firefox

Method 1: Manual

1. Changing the location in Firefox is easy.Just type about:configin the address bar of your browser and tap on Enter. Dismiss the warning that gets displayed on your system so that you can access the advanced options.
2. Further, search for geo.enabled in the search bar ofabout:config. If you want to fake the location, the value should be “True.”However, it should be “False” if you want to turn off the location access completely. You need to do that using the two-way arrow appearing on your screen.
3. Then,search geo.provider.network.url and tap on the button“Edit” in order to set your desired location’s latitude and longitude with the help of the syntax:data:application/json,{“location”: {“lat”: 27.1750, “lng”: 78.0421}, “accuracy”: 27000.0}. Further, tap onthe blue ‘Tick’ mark.
4. That’s it. Your location will be changed according to the latitude and longitude you have set.

Method 2: Add-on

Similar to Chrome, the Location Guard Add-on is available and works in a similar manner on Firefox too. It can be downloaded for free from the add-on repository of Mozilla so that you canmodify your location easily in Firefox. Once you have installed it, you can access it using the three-dot Menu and further clicking on Add-ons using any Firefox window you have opened.

Microsoft Edge

Just like Firefox and Chrome, Edge Chromium offers spoofing of the location. It can be done using advanced developer tools. The process is completely identical to the one you followed for Google Chrome. Below are the steps using which you can spoof your geolocation in Edge Chromium:

1. First, you need to open the Command Menu by pressing togetherControl+Shift+Con Linux and Windows machines or Command+Shift+Pfor macOS. Further, click on the three-dot Menu button appearing in the console ofDevTools and now tap on “More Tools” and then on“Sensors.”
2. Click on the“Sensors” tab appearing at the bottom of the DevTools window.
3. Further tap on the option “Override” in order to choose one of the preset cities appearing in the list of geolocation. You can also manually enter the longitude and latitude coordinates.

Please be noted that Microsoft Edge has only one method to change the location as of now.Currently, it doesn’t have a location spoofing extension; however, whilethe new version is Chromium-based, we hope it would arrive soon in the future.

 

 

SOURCE: How to Spoof Geolocation in Google Chrome, MozillaFirefox, Microsoft Edge

 

Google Chrome – Fix “Your Connection Is Not Private”

 

Sometimes, Google Chrome sends a worrying message saying that “Your Connection Is Not Private” and the hackers may be watching what you do and steal important data, like your passwords. While this does sound scary, making you drop the idea to browse that particular site. However, it does not mean you are about to be hacked! So what is this warning for, what does it mean, and what should you do to fix this? All of these questions will be answered in this article. So, keep reading until the end.

What Does “Your Connection Is Not Private” Mean?

This error means that Google Chrome was expecting a private connection; however, for some reason, the connection was not private. Generally, this error appears if there is something wrong with the website’s certificate.

Google Chrome is designed to use the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to interact with your computer. When you browse on the Web normally, it is not favorable to carry out secure transactions. The reason being that the HTTP isn’t encrypted, so a hacker can easily steal your personal information, while you are browsing a website.

To provide secure browsing, websites use HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to interact with your computer. This allows the websites to encrypt the communications between you and the website to keep the digital predators away.

Businesses have to apply for a certificate to use HTTPS, and if there is something wrong with the certificate, the website won’t be able to use HTTPS. This is exactly the reason why Chrome warns you that the connection is not private.

What Can Go Wrong with Certificates?

Now that you know the reason this error is appearing, you should also look at what triggers the error to be able to fix it.

There are a few reasons for a certificate to become invalid.

1. The website may be genuine; however, its certificate might have expired, as certification needs renewing now and then.
2. Usually, if the website hosts do not behave according to the laid guidelines, the certificate of the website can be revoked, causing the error.
3. Another reason could be hackers who try to interfere with the website’s certification. Hackers set up a proxy server between you and your destination website. This proxy server forges fake certificates to read your HTTPS data. However, Google Chrome catches this trick and warns you by displaying the error message.

How to Fix the “Your Connection Is Not Private” Error

You can try a few things to fix this issue at your end. You will likely be able to do so if there was a glitch during the connection process.

Refresh the Page

Sometimes, even a legitimate certificate gets flagged as suspicious. This happens because of jumbling data while you browse. So, refreshing the webpage would clear things up if this did occur.

Retry the Website in Incognito Mode

If there is something wrong with your computer’s cache, it will create a certificate conflict resulting in an error message.

To check for faulty caches, try the website in incognito mode. This will run the browser without using cache files. If you don’t get an error this time, then clear the cache in Chrome and try again.

Double-Check Your System’s Clock

The HTTPS certificates are valid for a certain time. If for some reason, your system’s clock is, before the start date or after the end date of the certificate, you will get a warning. 

If your clock is not displaying the current time, consider changing it.

Leave Any Public Networks You’re Connected To

If you are using a public network to browse, you will likely see this error message. This is to save you from the high probability of attackers operating on a public network. So, it is a good idea to leave the network and use another method, like your mobile data or hotspot.

Exercise Caution and Continue

If nothing else works out, you can still browse the website. Click the “Advanced” tab, then on the link with your website’s URL.

Note that this error appeared for a reason; still, you are disregarding it by entering an insecure webpage.

Even if you decide to do so, never enter personal or confidential information on such a website. Even if, “Your Connection Is Not Private” error in Google Chrome, doesn’t always mean that you are under attack. But for those unfortunate moments, simply close the webpage to save your information from leaking. 

Marshall Lyne is a self-professed security expert; he has been making the people aware of the security threats. His passion is to write about Cyber security, cryptography, malware, social engineering, internet and new media. He writes for Norton security products at norton.com/setup.

 

 

 

SOURCE: Google Chrome – Fix “Your Connection Is Not Private”